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  4. Joe the plumber and the American Dream

Joe the plumber and the American Dream

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  • R Rob Graham

    You really should look before you post a remark that makes you seem really dumb. Oakman's picture is in his bio. Mine on the other hand is not, and I prefer my privacy for reasons that have nothing to do with cowardice. In any case, the personal remark on your appearance was inappropriate and I apologize for it.:rose:

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    Paul Conrad
    wrote on last edited by
    #13

    Rob Graham wrote:

    Mine on the other hand is not, and I prefer my privacy for reasons that have nothing to do with cowardice.

    Same here. That is why I made up a Simpson's Avatar when the Simpson's Movie came out. It does not really reflect at all what I really look like.

    "The clue train passed his station without stopping." - John Simmons / outlaw programmer "Real programmers just throw a bunch of 1s and 0s at the computer to see what sticks" - Pete O'Hanlon "Not only do you continue to babble nonsense, you can't even correctly remember the nonsense you babbled just minutes ago." - Rob Graham

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    • R Rob Graham

      You really should look before you post a remark that makes you seem really dumb. Oakman's picture is in his bio. Mine on the other hand is not, and I prefer my privacy for reasons that have nothing to do with cowardice. In any case, the personal remark on your appearance was inappropriate and I apologize for it.:rose:

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      Sahir Shah
      wrote on last edited by
      #14

      Rob Graham wrote:

      Oakman's picture is in his bio.

      ewwww! so which one's Oakman ? I hope for his sake it's the cat. :laugh:

      Rob Graham wrote:

      In any case, the personal remark on your appearance was inappropriate and I apologize for it.

      Ah! Don't worry about it. I don't take these things seriously.

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      • S Sahir Shah

        What is the American dream? It is fundamentally a belief in the freedom that allows Americans to achieve their goals through hard work. It's hard to achieve that dream if you shackle the poor through proportional (or regressive) taxation. It is a denial of the American dream. So, what makes a loser like Joe the plumber who can never hope to make it into the 250,000+ tax bracket yearn for tax breaks for the rich ? And to quote the American dream as a support for his silly ideas ? The reptilian humanoids are deeply curious and plan to institute a probe at the next possible opportunity.

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        MrPlankton
        wrote on last edited by
        #15

        A lady I dated in college from Tiawan had a dream of opening an antique store in Washington DC in Georgtown district and become a millionair at it, then to marry a doctor with lots of realestate (no not me). The lady in the next office thinks she can be a millionair by coding some kind of wierdo dating site, she will be going live some time in December. While both these ladies expectations are a bit on the unrealistic side, they are convinced they can achieve them, and they think of themselves as allready wealthy in a future sense, and they just might achieve thier goals. This is still possible in this country.

        MrPlankton (bad guy)"Fear is a hammer, and when the people are beaten finally to the conviction that their existence hangs by a frayed thread, they will be led where they need to go." (good guy)"Which is where?" (bad guy)"To a responsible future in a properly managed world." Dean Koontz, The Good Guy

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        • M MrPlankton

          A lady I dated in college from Tiawan had a dream of opening an antique store in Washington DC in Georgtown district and become a millionair at it, then to marry a doctor with lots of realestate (no not me). The lady in the next office thinks she can be a millionair by coding some kind of wierdo dating site, she will be going live some time in December. While both these ladies expectations are a bit on the unrealistic side, they are convinced they can achieve them, and they think of themselves as allready wealthy in a future sense, and they just might achieve thier goals. This is still possible in this country.

          MrPlankton (bad guy)"Fear is a hammer, and when the people are beaten finally to the conviction that their existence hangs by a frayed thread, they will be led where they need to go." (good guy)"Which is where?" (bad guy)"To a responsible future in a properly managed world." Dean Koontz, The Good Guy

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          Paul Conrad
          wrote on last edited by
          #16

          MrPlankton wrote:

          While both these ladies expectations are a bit on the unrealistic side

          Let them dream on. Reality will be there waiting for them when they wake up.

          "The clue train passed his station without stopping." - John Simmons / outlaw programmer "Real programmers just throw a bunch of 1s and 0s at the computer to see what sticks" - Pete O'Hanlon "Not only do you continue to babble nonsense, you can't even correctly remember the nonsense you babbled just minutes ago." - Rob Graham

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          • R Rob Graham

            You really should look before you post a remark that makes you seem really dumb. Oakman's picture is in his bio. Mine on the other hand is not, and I prefer my privacy for reasons that have nothing to do with cowardice. In any case, the personal remark on your appearance was inappropriate and I apologize for it.:rose:

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            Oakman
            wrote on last edited by
            #17

            Rob Graham wrote:

            In any case, the personal remark on your appearance was inappropriate and I apologize for it.

            I'm truly curious. You felt his statement that you were getting fucked by a donkey was not inappropriate? :confused:

            Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface

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            • S Sahir Shah

              What is the American dream? It is fundamentally a belief in the freedom that allows Americans to achieve their goals through hard work. It's hard to achieve that dream if you shackle the poor through proportional (or regressive) taxation. It is a denial of the American dream. So, what makes a loser like Joe the plumber who can never hope to make it into the 250,000+ tax bracket yearn for tax breaks for the rich ? And to quote the American dream as a support for his silly ideas ? The reptilian humanoids are deeply curious and plan to institute a probe at the next possible opportunity.

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              Oakman
              wrote on last edited by
              #18

              The American Dream is "that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position." ~ James Truslow Adams when he coined the phrase.

              Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface

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              • O Oakman

                Rob Graham wrote:

                In any case, the personal remark on your appearance was inappropriate and I apologize for it.

                I'm truly curious. You felt his statement that you were getting fucked by a donkey was not inappropriate? :confused:

                Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface

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                Rob Graham
                wrote on last edited by
                #19

                Oakman wrote:

                You felt his statement that you were getting f***ed by a donkey was not inappropriate?

                It was quite inappropriate. I don't expect apologies (or even civility) from a troll, but I don't care to be known to have the same standards of behavior. Also note that I said my remark was inappropriate, not inaccurate. He remains an ignorant troll who has no business commenting on things of which he clearly has no understanding.

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                • R Rob Graham

                  Oakman wrote:

                  You felt his statement that you were getting f***ed by a donkey was not inappropriate?

                  It was quite inappropriate. I don't expect apologies (or even civility) from a troll, but I don't care to be known to have the same standards of behavior. Also note that I said my remark was inappropriate, not inaccurate. He remains an ignorant troll who has no business commenting on things of which he clearly has no understanding.

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                  Oakman
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #20

                  Rob Graham wrote:

                  It was quite inappropriate. I don't expect apologies (or even civility) from a troll, but I don't care to be known to have the same standards of behavior.

                  Good answer. I guess I am more of an eye for an eye kind of guy. When I read his insult to you, steam came out of my ears. I should think about what you said the next time I start getting carried away.

                  Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface

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                  • O Oakman

                    Rob Graham wrote:

                    It was quite inappropriate. I don't expect apologies (or even civility) from a troll, but I don't care to be known to have the same standards of behavior.

                    Good answer. I guess I am more of an eye for an eye kind of guy. When I read his insult to you, steam came out of my ears. I should think about what you said the next time I start getting carried away.

                    Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface

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                    Rob Graham
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #21

                    I fly off the handle from time to time myself.

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                    • O Oakman

                      Rob Graham wrote:

                      It was quite inappropriate. I don't expect apologies (or even civility) from a troll, but I don't care to be known to have the same standards of behavior.

                      Good answer. I guess I am more of an eye for an eye kind of guy. When I read his insult to you, steam came out of my ears. I should think about what you said the next time I start getting carried away.

                      Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface

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                      Sahir Shah
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #22

                      Oakman wrote:

                      Good answer. I guess I am more of an eye for an eye kind of guy. When I read his insult to you, steam came out of my ears. I should think about what you said the next time I start getting carried away.

                      I would like to nominate both you guys for the next Nobel prize for peace :-D

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                      • O Oakman

                        Rob Graham wrote:

                        It was quite inappropriate. I don't expect apologies (or even civility) from a troll, but I don't care to be known to have the same standards of behavior.

                        Good answer. I guess I am more of an eye for an eye kind of guy. When I read his insult to you, steam came out of my ears. I should think about what you said the next time I start getting carried away.

                        Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface

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                        Paul Conrad
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #23

                        Oakman wrote:

                        When I read his insult to you, steam came out of my ears

                        I just simply added it to my D.M. script :rolleyes:

                        "The clue train passed his station without stopping." - John Simmons / outlaw programmer "Real programmers just throw a bunch of 1s and 0s at the computer to see what sticks" - Pete O'Hanlon "Not only do you continue to babble nonsense, you can't even correctly remember the nonsense you babbled just minutes ago." - Rob Graham

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                        • P Paul Conrad

                          Oakman wrote:

                          When I read his insult to you, steam came out of my ears

                          I just simply added it to my D.M. script :rolleyes:

                          "The clue train passed his station without stopping." - John Simmons / outlaw programmer "Real programmers just throw a bunch of 1s and 0s at the computer to see what sticks" - Pete O'Hanlon "Not only do you continue to babble nonsense, you can't even correctly remember the nonsense you babbled just minutes ago." - Rob Graham

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                          Oakman
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #24

                          Paul Conrad wrote:

                          I just simply added it to my D.M. script

                          You're smart, Paul. Maybe too smart. You want me brudder Vito to come have a talk witchoose?

                          Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface

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                          • O Oakman

                            Paul Conrad wrote:

                            I just simply added it to my D.M. script

                            You're smart, Paul. Maybe too smart. You want me brudder Vito to come have a talk witchoose?

                            Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface

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                            Paul Conrad
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #25

                            Oakman wrote:

                            Maybe too smart.

                            Naaaaaaw :-\ I've scored a 170+ on those IQ tests on the 'net after several brewskies :rolleyes:

                            "The clue train passed his station without stopping." - John Simmons / outlaw programmer "Real programmers just throw a bunch of 1s and 0s at the computer to see what sticks" - Pete O'Hanlon "Not only do you continue to babble nonsense, you can't even correctly remember the nonsense you babbled just minutes ago." - Rob Graham

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                            • S Stan Shannon

                              Oakman wrote:

                              Something tells me that the way you define "honestly" ends up being "those who have achieved the American Dream."

                              No, it means those who made good decisions in life rather than bad decisions and then blamed those bad decisions on others rather than taking responsibility for them and moving on.

                              Chaining ourselves to the moral high ground does not make us good guys. Aside from making us easy targets, it merely makes us idiotic prisoners of our own self loathing.

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                              Bassam Abdul Baki
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #26

                              Stan Shannon wrote:

                              it means those who made good decisions in life rather than bad decisions

                              That sounds like luck to me. Either you get lucky or you don't.

                              Web - Blog - RSS - Math - BM

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                              • P Paul Conrad

                                Oakman wrote:

                                Maybe too smart.

                                Naaaaaaw :-\ I've scored a 170+ on those IQ tests on the 'net after several brewskies :rolleyes:

                                "The clue train passed his station without stopping." - John Simmons / outlaw programmer "Real programmers just throw a bunch of 1s and 0s at the computer to see what sticks" - Pete O'Hanlon "Not only do you continue to babble nonsense, you can't even correctly remember the nonsense you babbled just minutes ago." - Rob Graham

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                                Oakman
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #27

                                Paul Conrad wrote:

                                I've scored a 170+ on those IQ tests on the 'net after several brewskies

                                Back in the '70's it was amazing who you could score with after a couple of joints.

                                Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface

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                                • S Stan Shannon

                                  Oakman wrote:

                                  Something tells me that the way you define "honestly" ends up being "those who have achieved the American Dream."

                                  No, it means those who made good decisions in life rather than bad decisions and then blamed those bad decisions on others rather than taking responsibility for them and moving on.

                                  Chaining ourselves to the moral high ground does not make us good guys. Aside from making us easy targets, it merely makes us idiotic prisoners of our own self loathing.

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                                  Christian Graus
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #28

                                  And you KNOW they made good or bad decisions, b/c they are rich, or poor, right ?

                                  Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. "Iam doing the browsing center project in vb.net using c# coding" - this is why I don't answer questions much anymore. Oh, and Microsoft doesn't want me to.

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                                  • O Oakman

                                    The American Dream is "that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position." ~ James Truslow Adams when he coined the phrase.

                                    Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface

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                                    Christian Graus
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #29

                                    And that's plainly not an accurate description of the USA today. The only real difference I can see is that the US upper classes got there differently to the ones in Europe. It's still the case that a class exists in the USA with a lifestyle that the majority of people in the US could not hope to come close to, no matter what they do.

                                    Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. "Iam doing the browsing center project in vb.net using c# coding" - this is why I don't answer questions much anymore. Oh, and Microsoft doesn't want me to.

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                                    • C Christian Graus

                                      And you KNOW they made good or bad decisions, b/c they are rich, or poor, right ?

                                      Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. "Iam doing the browsing center project in vb.net using c# coding" - this is why I don't answer questions much anymore. Oh, and Microsoft doesn't want me to.

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                                      Oakman
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #30

                                      Christian Graus wrote:

                                      And you KNOW they made good or bad decisions, b/c they are rich, or poor, right ?

                                      Absolutely. Good = rich; evil = poor.

                                      Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface

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                                      • C Christian Graus

                                        And that's plainly not an accurate description of the USA today. The only real difference I can see is that the US upper classes got there differently to the ones in Europe. It's still the case that a class exists in the USA with a lifestyle that the majority of people in the US could not hope to come close to, no matter what they do.

                                        Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. "Iam doing the browsing center project in vb.net using c# coding" - this is why I don't answer questions much anymore. Oh, and Microsoft doesn't want me to.

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                                        Oakman
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #31

                                        Christian Graus wrote:

                                        It's still the case that a class exists in the USA with a lifestyle that the majority of people in the US could not hope to come close to, no matter what they do.

                                        I'm not sure that the American Dream requires that a majority of its citizens reach the level of Warren Buffet or Bill Gates, or even 'just' the level of having a 20 million dollar golden parachute. What that definition does insist on is that everyone should be able to achieve all that they can achieve. (I'm pretty sure that if I had every starting advantage Warren Buffet had, twice over, my investment company would be somewhat less well capitalized that Berkshire Hathaway.) I think it's pretty clear that even that level of opportunity is no longer available in the U.S. Outsourcing jobs, downsizing American corporations, and building factories in slave countries has slammed the door in the face of bright, hardworking people.

                                        Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface

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                                        • R Rob Graham

                                          You really should look before you post a remark that makes you seem really dumb. Oakman's picture is in his bio. Mine on the other hand is not, and I prefer my privacy for reasons that have nothing to do with cowardice. In any case, the personal remark on your appearance was inappropriate and I apologize for it.:rose:

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                                          Ilion
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #32

                                          Rob Graham wrote:

                                          In any case, the personal remark on your appearance was inappropriate and I apologize for it. :rose:

                                          Mere symptom. Therefore, it will happen again. Work on the underlying disease.

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